Western Michigan University Cooley Law School will present "Careers in Indian Law with Judge Allie Greenleaf Maldonado" online Friday November 11, beginning at noon via Webex.
Maldonado is chief judge of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB) Tribal Court in Petoskey. She is a citizen of the LTBB tribe and member of the Turtle Clan. Prior to her appointment as chief judge, she served as assistant general counsel for the tribe. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, Maldonado was selected as only the 15th tribal citizen to enter into the Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). There she became a litigator in the Indian Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Maldonado is a nationally-recognized expert on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA). She has worked closely with the State Court Administrative Office to bring Michigan into compliance with ICWA. Maldonado successfully litigated the first case in which the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned the termination of parental rights due to a failure by the state to follow ICWA. In recognition of her efforts on behalf of the LTBB and Indian Country she was awarded the Unsung Hero Award by the Michigan State Bar.
Maldonado has received numerous awards and distinctions, her writings about ICWA have been published nationally, and she has been called upon numerous times to speak about and provide training on ICWA. The Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in a challenge to the constitutionality of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act in Haaland v. Brackeen.
For additional information on the online discussion, visit www.cooley.edu/events/careers-indian-law-judge-allie-greenleaf-maldonado.
